JATO reports gradual road to recovery for European car sales in May

The firm reports that many of the major European markets saw significant sales increases last month following an improvement in their economies but Greece and Spain experienced decreases of 15.3% and 23.5% respectively.

Of the top 10 models, seven recorded increased sales in May, compared with only two models in April.

The Volkswagen Golf remains Europe's best-selling car, with sales increased by 8.6% in May compared to 2010, although year-to-date sales have fallen by 7.4%.

The Ford Fiesta, with sales up by 2.7%, reclaimed second place in the top 10 models from Volkswagen's Polo.

Volkswagen's recently revised Passat continues to record greatly increased volume, with a growth of 49.2% in May and 30.6% for the year to date, while Ford's new third-generation Focus is performing strongly, with sales 18.6% higher than its predecessor recorded in May 2010.

Seven of the top 10 brands also recorded increased sales in May. Opel/Vauxhall posted sales in May 17.4% higher than a year earlier, with both Corsa and Astra claiming top five positions.